AANP Commends US House of Representatives on Passage of H.R. 6

AUSTIN, Texas, June 22, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Practitioners would like to thank congressional leaders for their support and leadership on H.R. 6, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, particularly section 303. 

This section would make permanent the authorization for nurse practitioners (NPs) and PAs to provide lifesaving medication assisted treatments (MATs) for patients battling addiction, which was originally granted for a five-year period in the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act of 2016 (CARA). Further, this section provides a five-year authorization to certified nurse midwives (CNMs), certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) to prescribe MATs.  We commend Chairman Walden (R-OR), Chairman Brady (R-TX), Ranking Member Pallone (D-NJ), Ranking Member Neal (D-MA), Congressman Tonko (D-NY) and Congressman Lujan (D-NM) for their steadfast work to protect these patients and ensure continued access to treatment for years to come.

Nationwide, over a quarter million Americans now can access this treatment from an NP or PA. Since first obtaining the authorization to prescribe MATs, over 5,984 NPs and over 2,000 PAs have obtained the waiver. Recovery for these patients can last years, if not a lifetime, but CARA only authorized NPs and PAs to provide these lifesaving treatments until 2021. Section 303 of H.R. 6 will ensure access is preserved for these patients while also expanding access to those receiving care from CNMs, CRNAs and CNSs.

We congratulate the U.S. House of Representatives for passing this legislation. NPs across the country will continue to provide their patients much-needed access to this vital treatment.

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 248,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NP patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate a nurse practitioner in your community, go to npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org.

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners

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